Well drilling machine



Nov. 15, 1938.

D. H. SMITH WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2 F 7 Z A? /6 /5 Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE WELL DRILLING MACHINE Application December 16, 1937, Serial No. 180,189

4 Claims.

This invention relates to well drilling machines and, more particularly, to an improved type of drill which is adapted to be manually operated.

An object of this invention is to provide a man- 5 ually operable well drilling machine which is so constructed that the drill bit is substantially balanced by the supporting apparatus so that the drill bit may be reciprocated vertically, and, at the same time, partially rotated so that the drill bit will readily bite into the material through which the bit is passing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a well drilling machine of portable type which is so constructed that the reciprocal movements thereof can be controlled by the operator so that the movement of the bit into the ground can be regulated in accordance with the impact of the drill bit.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a well drilling machine of this kind, a shiftable supporting means for the bit which is adapted to be shifted along the supporting cable as the bit progresses in the ground.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a manually operable well drilling machine of this kind wherein the drill bit is yieldably supported from a rig and the length of the movement of the drill bit can be readily controlled in accordance with the pressure applied manually to the yieldable bit supporting means.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinaiter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a detailed front elevation of a well drilling machine constructed according to an em- 40 bodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view partly in detail taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

45 Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates generally a rig which comprises upwardly extending and upwardly convergent elongated beams or supporting members H and I2 which are connected together at their upper ends by a 50 transverse connecting bar or shaft 13. The legs H and I2 are held in spaced-apart relation by means of horizontal bracing members l4 and I5 which are disposed adjacent the lower and upper ends of the supporting beams II and I2 respectively.

A drill bit It of suitable type and having a predetermined weight has the upper end thereof connected to a. flexible cable H. The cable H is trained over a pulley l8 which is rotatably mounted on the upper shaft IS. The cable I! extends downwardly from the pulley I 8, and is then wound about a winding drum l9 carried by a crank shaft 2!].

The crank shaft 20 may be provided with a pawl and a ratchet device as at 2| and 22 so that rotation of the winding drum l9 and the shaft 20 in one direction; namely, the unwinding of the cable I! off of the drum I9 is prevented.

The drill bit I6 is yieldably supported from the pulley l8 and the cable I1 by means of a yieldable supporting device comprising upper and lower cable clamping members 23 and 24, respectively, which are connected together by means of a pair of springs 25 which engage hooks 2B and 2'! carried by the clamping members 23 and 24, respectively. The clamping member 23 comprises a pair of elongated jaw members 28 and 29 which are held in clamping position about the cable I! by means of a plurality of bolts or holding members 3!]. The lower clamping member 24 comprises a pair of jaw members 3| and 32 which are held together by means of bolts 33 or the like.

In the use and operation of this drilling machine, the weight of the drill bit [6 is readily 0 24. The amount of slack of I! in the cable I! between the two clamping members 23 and 24 is preferably slightly more than the expansion which will be effected in the springs 25.

The operator of this machine is adapted to stand closely adjacent the cable H and may grasp this cable and then vertically rock the cable I! so as to impart the desired impact between the lower end of the bit I6, and the material which is being drilled. Due to the substantial balancing of the bit It by the springs 25, this vertical reciprocation of the bit 16 may be effected by only a slight efiort on the part of the operator.

As the drill bit l6 cuts into the material, the yieldable supporting means including the clamp- Fix ing members 23 and 24 and the springs 25 may be lowered by unwinding the cable I! from the drum I9. When the clamping devices are lowered to a point where they might interfere with the reciprocation of the drill bit, the clamping members 23 and 24 may then be shifted upwardly and the operation repeated.

A well drilling machine constructed in accordance with this invention may be readily moved from one point to another, and be set up very quickly at the desired location. This well drilling machine is particularly well suited for drilling of Wells for water or the like, and the wells may be drilled to any desired depth.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention Without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A well drilling machine comprising a rig, a flexible bit supporting cable, a pair of spaced apart cable clamping members, and springs connecting said members together to yieldably support the bit.

2. A well drilling machine comprising a rig, a flexible bit supporting cable, a pair of cable clamping members disposed in spaced apart relation on said cable, and a pair of springs connecting said clamping members together in a manner to provide a slack in that portion of the cable disposed between said clamping members.

3. A well drilling machine comprising a rig, a flexible cable supported by said rig and having a vertical depending portion disposed substantially centrally of the rig and provided with a bit on the lower end thereof, a pair of spaced apart clamping members engaging said depending cable portion, and a pair of springs connecting said clamping members together tothereby provide a slack in that portion of the cable disposed between said clamping members.

4. A well drilling machine comprising a rig, a flexible bit supporting cable, upper and lower spaced cable clamping members, and a spring connection between said members adapted normally to hold them in such relation as to provide a slack in that portion of the cable which is disposed between said members.

DANIEL H. SMITH. 

